Meta, a prominent player in social media, has started blocking links to rival platforms just a few days following their statement about upholding free speech—prompting speculation about the authenticity of their efforts to minimize censorship by Mark Zuckerberg’s team.
Based on information from 404 Media, it appears that Facebook (which is owned by Meta) has been swiftly removing links to a rival of Instagram called Pixelfed. These links have been categorized as “spam” and deleted without delay.
In 2012, Instagram, a well-known photo-sharing app, was purchased by Facebook (Meta), expanding their coverage of social media platforms.
Initially spotted by AJ Sadauskas on the social media platform Bluesky Social, which is a rival to X.com launched in 2019 by entrepreneur Jack Dorsey, was the perceived suppression of Pixelfed.
Sadauskas shared screenshots showing Pixelfed links on Facebook being deleted “within seconds.”
In my analysis as a Bluesky user, I’ve observed that Johan Vandevelde pointed out that the censorship isn’t confined solely to Pixelfed, but seems to extend to other platforms competing with Facebook as well.
Vandevelde mentioned that someone had inquired about Facebook alternatives, to which he provided a link to Mastodon. However, his comment was swiftly taken down, presumably due to being classified as spam.
Selective expression?
On Jan. 7, Meta issued a news release titled, “More Speech and Fewer Mistakes.”
The piece was written by the company’s international relations head, Joel Kaplan, and included a five-minute address from Zuckerberg, emphasizing their commitment to returning to the core values of open communication.
Apart from fostering more open dialogue, Meta also pledged to replace their third-party fact-checkers using a community notes system, much like the one used by X.com.
Meta’s shift received endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, who suggested that the move might have been a reaction to past threats leveled against the social media titan.
Nevertheless, high-ranking figures at Meta, such as Michael McConnell who shares leadership on the oversight board, have been vocal in their criticism of Zuckerberg for seemingly yielding to political pressure before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Instead of solely viewing Pixelfed’s censorship as a method for Meta to hinder the advertising of direct competitors on its platform, it seems more plausible that this action contradicts Meta’s declared, broader vision, rather than directly infringing upon freedom of speech.
As a researcher examining Meta’s latest strategy, I find that their new playbook appears to be more focused on repairing political relationships rather than actively advocating for unrestricted expression, as one might expect from a promotion of free speech.
Changes at Meta might be due to their effort to work with incoming Republican leaders to prevent regulation, but also because of the influence voters had when they chose Mr. Trump in the election.
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2025-01-13 23:26